Beim was born on October 2, 1923, in Newark, New Jersey. He attended Ohio State University (1941-1942), intending to be a novelist. However, Beim became interested in theater and began writing his first plays. He left school to serve in the United States Army Field Artillery from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. While he was fighting in Germany, he received second prize in the National Theatre Conference competition for his first one-act play, Inside (first produced in 1951). When he returned from the war, Beim continued writing but also worked as an actor to support himself. Beim was profoundly affected by his experiences in the war, which he explored in some of his plays, including Inside and The Deserter (1979). The Deserter won first prize in the prestigious Samuel French competition (1978). His other works include My Family: The Jewish Immigrants (1997), Plays: At Home and Abroad (1997), Hymie and the Angel (1998), and...